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If Vaibhav Sharma is correct, the solution to the global economic crisis could be right under America's nose.
Sharma, a doctoral student from India in finance, said one simple move from America could set off a chain of global economic improvements.
"When America sneezes, the whole world catches a cold," Sharma said. "So if (President-elect Barack) Obama can realize what the economy needs, the world's marketplace will follow suit and improve."
But Sharma is not sure Obama has the economic plan to get the country out of its recession.
Sharma said he celebrated with the world when Obama was announced as the next president and believes the better person won, but he said Sen. John McCain offered a better economic plan.
He said his firsthand experience of the economic boom in India showed him the effectiveness of a free market. India had struggled for decades to grow economically and it was the effectiveness of the free market in the mid-1990s that Sharma said breathed life into the country.
"Free trade and open markets benefit all countries; look at what is happening in China and India and New Zealand," Sharma said. "It's good Obama wants to keep jobs in the country, but it is a global job market and I think he will see that."
Fangzhou Tang, a junior from Carbondale studying finance, said he is also skeptical of Obama's plan as well as what McCain proposed. Tang, who was born in China, said the economic boom in China came from entrepreneurship opportunities that opened because of the free market.
He said Obama was a slightly better choice than McCain, but added Obama would not be able to fix any major economic problems.
"Obama's plan will fix the symptoms, but he won't cure the disease," Tang said. "There is money floating around that doesn't even exist and taxes are going to be higher and the national debt is going to continue to grow."
Tang said he expected the same political cycle to continue and until a president can promise balanced spending, he said he does not see a permanent way out of the financial crisis.
While some international students said they were concerned with Obama's financial plan, others said they believed Obama could lead the nation and the world out of the current recession.
Lalidaphan Potigosum, a doctoral student from Thailand in economics, said she was thrilled Obama was elected president and is confident his economic plan can bring prosperity back to the global market.
She said her uncle in Thailand trades stocks every day and when Obama was announced as the next president, her uncle told her people all over the world were starting to buy more.
"He is already changing the way people think about America and he hasn't even started yet," Potigosum said.
I-Jung Chung, a graduate student from Taiwan in accountancy, said she supported Obama's plan, especially his plan to cut taxes for the middle class. She said America and Taiwan have a close relationship so the American president plays a vital role in her home country.
"Each president's policies are very important to the whole world," Chung said. "Taiwan's stock is connected with America's, so if America goes up so will Taiwan."
Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268 or jengel@siu.edu.
